Chapter 291: Well Done, Boy (2)
Chapter 291: Well Done, Boy (2)
Boom! Rumble... Thud!
No one could even get close.
From the moment Patrick and the three Paladins began their clash, the surrounding area started to be reduced to ruins in less than a minute.
"Fall back further! Don't get caught in the crossfire!"
"Ensure the damage doesn't spread! Protect the Holy Capital!"
The other Holy Knights kept their distance, merely watching the battle from afar.
"Is it really alright to just stand by and watch?"
"What else can we do?"
"Naturally, we should assist the Paladins..."
"How?"
At that question, the Holy Knight who had suggested helping looked toward the battlefield and let out a hollow laugh.
"There is no way."
He couldn't even see how the battle was unfolding.
All he could discern from his position was the overwhelmingly brilliant Holy Light and the clusters of flashing glints that erupted incessantly within it.
And occasionally, the shards of Aura that burst forth whenever they collided.
"Is he even human?"
"Double Dragon... I’d heard the rumors, but to think he was this powerful."
"At that level, isn't he practically a Sword Saint?"
"Perhaps. But..."
The Holy Knight who was speaking bit his lip before continuing.
"Even if the Double Dragon is as strong as a Sword Saint, he cannot face all of us alone."
"That’s true..."
"If, by some miracle, the Paladins are defeated, then we must all swarm him and kill the Double Dragon ourselves."
"You mean kill him?"
"We cannot allow the Holy Kingdom to be disgraced any further."
They didn't know why Patrick Schneider was causing such a ruckus.
But regardless of the reason...
"He has crossed the line."
"That is true."
Now that the Paladins, the representatives of the Holy Kingdom’s military might, had stepped in, the games were over.
The Double Dragon would have to pay the appropriate price.
* * *
'This is tougher than I thought.'
Patrick frowned.
The pressure of the Holy Power tightening around him from all sides was difficult enough, but the Paladins' combat prowess was even greater than the rumors suggested.
"O Yupinel!"
Sirius Star was armed with a mace and a round shield.
When Patrick first saw him, he thought he was a power-type heavy armored knight.
However, he was a type completely specialized in speed.
His base speed was already fast, but the moment he invoked a miracle...
Swish!
He charged at Patrick with a speed that had suddenly more than doubled.
It seemed to be a miracle that amplified his speed.
Having closed the distance so abruptly, he swung his mace, which was thick with Holy Power and Aura, toward Patrick.
Boom!
However, even his attack, now twice as fast, failed to catch Patrick.
Patrick dodged the mace and immediately launched a counterattack.
"Just... stay down!"
Crrrash!
Patrick swung his right-hand sword with all his might.
Even though the strike, fully loaded with an Aura Blade, hit the round shield, the force sent Sirius flying into the distance.
But before he could even catch his breath, a rain of arrows poured down from his left.
"O Yupineeeel!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake..."
Hundreds of golden arrows forged from Holy Power.
Each one possessed power rivaling the Aura Blade of a 7-Star Knight.
An area-of-effect annihilation skill that could inflict severe damage on an entire army was being concentrated on a single human being.
Unable to ignore this power, Patrick responded immediately.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Seventh Form.
Moonlit Night Phantom Dragon.
Patrick’s form vanished instantly from the enemy's sight.
With his presence completely erased, he surged toward the enemy in secret.
His target was Oiros Ryan, who had been incessantly firing those arrows of Holy Power.
'I need to take out at least one of them to catch my breath.'
As he charged with that thought, Patrick was completely invisible to Oiros.
Just as Patrick, having approached his enemy stealthily and swiftly, was about to strike...
"O Yupinel!"
"God, this is annoying!"
Tatius Owen lunged from the side, swinging a massive bastard sword at Patrick.
Clang!
Moonlit Night Phantom Dragon was broken.
Patrick had to block the enemy's attack and retreat a great distance to the side.
As he looked at the retreating Patrick, a mysterious Holy Light flickered in Tatius Owen's eyes.
"It is a fascinating technique, but it does not work against my vision."
"Those eyes... what are they?"
It seemed to be a type of miracle, but it was a technique Patrick had never seen before.
Tatius replied calmly.
"It is nothing much. I can simply see the future about one or two seconds ahead."
"..."
That’s definitely something!
'That’s a cheat.'
To be able to see one or two seconds into the future during combat?
Then it made sense why Moonlit Night Phantom Dragon had been broken.
What was the point of hiding one's presence?
It was useless if the future itself was visible to the enemy.
Besides that, they were using things like the God Hand or Holy Fire that Antorius used.
Furthermore, their skills as knights were all outstanding, appearing to be at least 5-Star or 6-Star level.
And most decisively...
Thud... thud.
"Are you alright, Oiros?"
"Of course. This is nothing."
They were all incredibly durable.
Oiros Ryan, who had been sent flying by Patrick's attack just moments ago, was already back on his feet and surrounding Patrick once more.
'Damn, this isn't going to be easy.'
Patrick looked troubled.
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed difficult to hold out like this. Just then...
"Double Dragon. I have heard many rumors, but I am both relieved and disappointed."
"About what?"
"When I heard the rumors about you, I often heard you were a powerhouse comparable to the Sword Saint."
"And?"
"To be honest, I didn't believe it. For us, who know what kind of monster the Sword Saint is, it was impossible to believe that someone as young—no, as childish—as you could be a warrior on the same level."
"And. So. What?"
"..."
"What are you trying to say?"
Oiros answered Patrick’s sharp, thorn-filled words.
"Don't you get it?"
"..."
"I'm saying you are far weaker than the Sword Saint."
"..."
"In short, the rumors were exaggerated."
"..."
Patrick's shoulders slumped.
He looked up at the sky and suddenly let out a deep sigh.
"Master... this is how I'm living. This is my life."
"Hmm? What are you talking about?"
"How did I end up like this?"
"Who are you talking to?"
"My friends would laugh if they saw this, wouldn't they? No, even those Ten Great Evils whose heads I cut off would laugh. Hahaha... A man's reputation can go down the drain in an instant."
"Have you perhaps gone ma—"
"Ah... forget it."
In an instant, the three Paladins flinched and took a step back simultaneously.
A chilling coldness began to swirl in Patrick's eyes.
He spoke to the Paladins.
"Your misfortune is that you are moderately strong and subtly annoying."
"What..."
"The only saving grace is that you're durable. Maybe you won't die. If you're lucky, that is."
"..."
The Paladins fell silent.
They felt the momentum slowly rising from Patrick's body was anything but ordinary.
And the surge of that power showed no signs of stopping.
As Patrick's power rose to increasingly gargantuan heights, the Paladins unconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons.
'This... is almost on par with the Sword Saint...'
'No, perhaps...'
Patrick spoke to them through gritted teeth.
"I'll tell you one last thing."
"..."
"Someone telling me I'm 'weaker than expected.' That is the eighth thing I hate most in this world."
"How can you have so many things you ha—huh?"
"And from the single digits, I stop playing around."
The moment he finished speaking, Patrick's body vanished from the sight of all three Paladins simultaneously.
The one he reappeared in front of was Sirius Star, the fastest among the three.
Sirius hesitated for a split second the moment Patrick appeared directly before him.
Attack? Defend?
The moment his body stiffened because he couldn't decide which to do was incredibly brief.
However, against an opponent like Patrick Schneider, that split second of hesitation was fatal.
Boom!
"Urgh...!"
It was an impact as if something massive had struck him.
Even though he had blocked it by adding Holy Power to his round shield, it felt as if his arm was going to fall off.
'He's changed.'
His attack power had gone up a level—no, more than two levels. Even before, his attack power had exceeded the ordinary 7-Star realm, but this was on a different dimension.
Could this be the power of the Overlord's sword he had heard about in rumors?
As that thought crossed his mind, Patrick spoke softly.
"Brace yourself. Or you'll die."
"What... Gasp!"
In that instant, Sirius saw the energy overflowing from Patrick's entire body glowing red.
The moment he saw Patrick, who had turned red like a piece of iron thrust into a furnace, he hurriedly summoned all his strength.
"O... O Yupinel. Descend upon me. Give me the strength to protect myself from this evil being."
He hurriedly recited a prayer.
At the same time, Holy Light shone down upon him from the heavens.
It was the Grand Shield, the most powerful defensive miracle he could use.
It was a miracle that could only be used once a day, but it was one that had even withstood an attack from the Sword Saint.
Using this miracle at this moment was a stroke of divine luck.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Second Style.
Great Dragon Cross Sword.
A massive cross-shaped slash that looked as if it would rend his entire body apart.
Taking it head-on, Sirius was sent flying.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
It was useless no matter how much he tried to hold his ground.
The massive slash of the Aura Blade pushed Sirius back and sent him hurtling away. Sirius, bounced far away, crashed through several buildings before being buried in the distance.
Patrick moved again immediately.
"Die!"
Oiros Ryan.
Using his bow as a weapon, he fired an incomparable number of arrows at Patrick.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
It was a frantic, high-speed rapid fire, to the point where his fingers bled from pulling the string.
He wasn't pouring out such a monstrous attack because he saw an opening, but rather...
'Don't... don't come any closer.'
It was a desperate struggle born out of pure terror.
He fired arrow after arrow without pause, but Patrick advanced, swinging his twin swords—from which Aura Blades over three meters long erupted—to deflect the arrows of Holy Power.
He had poured out enough arrows to annihilate an entire army, but he couldn't stop that monster's charge.
And finally...
"Got you."
The moment Patrick's chilling words reached his ears, he quickly used a miracle.
"O Yupinel! Your servant prays, protect my body!"
Then, his body turned into golden metal.
The Golden Iron Man, a high-level miracle superior to the Steel Skin spell.
It was a high-level miracle that could even withstand the Aura Blade of a 7-Star swordsman. However...
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Third Form.
Adaptive Ten-Strike Combo.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
If it doesn't break, keep hitting it until it does.
It was a simple and brutish method, but it was one Patrick enjoyed using and one that worked well.
Crack. Craaaack.
"Th-this is impossible!"
Oiros was horrified as he felt cracks appearing in his body, which had turned to steel.
Regardless, Patrick's attacks passed seven, then eight, and reached nine.
"W-wait a—"
"Go to heeeeell!"
The final tenth strike.
A chillingly blue flash struck Oiros, who had turned into a golden statue. Simultaneously...
Shatter!
"Aaaaaagh!"
The sound of something breaking and Oiros's scream rang out at the same time.
And he, too, was sent flying in the same direction as Sirius, crashing into the ruins.